March 31, 2009

Box Score

Fairfax, Va. - The George Mason baseball team ran the nation's longest active home winning streak to 16 games on Tuesday afternoon and in the process, they reached 20 wins faster than any other team in school history as the Patriots beat Mount St. Mary's, 5-3 at Spuhler Field. The Patriots are 20-5, topping the 1993 team's 20-7 record.

Mason rallied from a 3-2 sixth-inning deficit to win for the 16th time in the past 18 games. The Patriots finished the month of March with a 16-3 record. Brent Weiss hit a fourth-inning home run, a sacrifice bunt in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh as he was 2 for 2 in the game with two RBI. Spencer Wiggins had three hits and Chris Henderson and Ryan Soares each had two hits. Justin Bour had his 12-game hitting streak snapped.

Mason got on the board in the first inning as Wiggins and Henderson singled, Wiggins went to third on a Scott Krieger fly out to deep center and scored on a Bour sacrifice fly, also to deep center. The Patriots also put the first two batters on in the third as Henderson and Krieger singled but Bour fouled out and after Soares walked, Shane Davis popped up and Dan Schafferman struck out to keep it a 1-0 game.

Mount St. Mary's tied the score in the fourth when Matt Staso singled and Kyle Kane walked, Staso stole third with two outs and scored on a Joe Kavanagh single to left. But the first Mason batter of the fourth put the Patriots back on top as Weiss hit his first homer of the year and second of his career to make it 2-1.

In the top of the sixth, Mount St. Mary's put together a two-run inning. Kane singled and Shane Eyler followed with a grounder to short. Brent Weiss made a nice diving stab to stop the ball but his throw to second was off line and Eyler went to second and Kane to third. Josh Winter's foul ball was deep enough down the rightfield line for Kane to score and Eyler came home on an Alex Andrews single. After another hit put runners on second and third, Krieger made a sliding catch in left to save two runs and allow Mason to escape the inning down 3-2.

Mason was able to respond in the bottom of the frame as Schafferman singled, went to second on a Weiss sacrifice bunt and after Dan Palumbo singled to put runners on the corners, Wiggins executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt, singling just past a diving pitcher to make it 3-3. The Patriots were unable to retake the lead, though as Henderson struck out and Krieger flew out to right.

In the seventh, Soares hustled for a one-out double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Shane Davis' slow roller to short. Davis stole second and scored on a Weiss single to right for the two-run lead. Shawn Griffith picked up the win in relief improving to 3-0 on the year. Jordan Flasher pitched the ninth for his third save, extending his school record for career saves to 21.

Mason will return to action on Wednesday when the Patriots host Georgetown at Spuhler Field at 3 p.m. Mason's 16-straight home wins is second all-time in school history. Mason won 18 straight from April 1, 2003 through March 21, 2004.